Arsenal have been absolutely flying this season, but not everyone in the squad has had the most fruitful of fortunes.
Signing from Porto for £34m in the summer, talented creative midfielder Fabio Vieira has not quite made the emphatic impact he will have hoped thus far, despite featuring prominently in the north London club's unsuccessful Europa League campaign.
Starting on just two occasions in the Premier League, the 22-year-old has clearly not been entrusted with more than a peripheral role with the stakes so high in north London at present; Arsenal are challenging for their first Premier League title in almost two decades, currently eight points clear of Manchester City with ten matches to play.
While Viera will be provided a platform to continue his development over the coming years, the progress of one particular midfield sensation in the Hale End academy will no doubt leave Arteta with something of a headache when considering his options for next term.
Who is Bradley Ibrahim?
Arteta must consider unleashing Bradley Ibrahim in short time, with Arsenal's official website hailing the dynamic ace as 'an energetic box-to-box midfielder with an eye for goal' and a 'tireless' central presence.
The 18-year-old has made 18 appearances for the Gunners' youth teams this season and even found a place on the bench for the seniors on two occasions in the Europa League, though he still awaits his professional debut.
Praised to have come "a long way" by journalist Layth Yousif, Ibrahim signed his first professional contract almost one year ago, in March 2022, and has since started to push on the door of the U21 outfit, landing seven appearances already.
ROCNATION also regarded the teenage talent as an "athletic midfielder who is always looking to create space and play passes to unlock the opposition defence."
With this in mind, he could surely look to make an impression where Vieira has somewhat failed this season, mirroring his senior peer in athleticism and drifting movement on the ball, with Vieira ranking within the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for touches in the attacking box and the top 8% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.
While Arteta will be hesitant to ditch a young player of Vieira's quality so soon, unleashing Ibrahim and providing the Portuguese ace with competition from the Hale End ranks could bring out the best in both phenoms.
But if Vieira cannot grow into his midfield deployment next season with greater authority, he might have to keep one eye behind his shoulder, with Ibrahim's development tantalising a place in Arteta's plans sooner rather than later.